Freedom of Speech 3

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Congregational Church

There is not much doubt that Larsen was searching for pictorial icons to place the campaign within the pantheon of New England imagery. Even before Hollywood and Grace Metalious’ Peyton Place had fixed the spires of the Congregational churches at the visual center of the New England community, Larsen thought to overlap politics and religious symbolism. She spent a day traveling with Governor Adams and photographed him with several citizens in front of the Congregational church in Plymouth, NH. Here is one of the most startling images from that series.

None of the photographs taken of the Governor standing in front of the Congregational Church ended up being used in the spread. The images may not have been perceived as political; or, perhaps, too political. At any rate, New England’s iconic white churches proved unsuitable for the purposes of the magazine.